What Does Designing for Strength Mean to Us?
At Figurr, we believe our greatest strength lies in listening and learning. Architecture is never static; materials evolve, technology shifts, and cultural contexts deepen. The only constant is change. To build spaces that truly endure, we must embrace change, not resist it.
Designing for strength means paying attention to our clients, partners, communities, and team. It means seeing design not as a finished product but as a process that grows stronger through relationships, adaptation, and reinvestment.
Learning Through Our Projects
Strength often reveals itself in the communities we serve. Working alongside Indigenous communities, for example, has expanded our understanding of resilience. Indigenous design traditions show us that strength comes not from imposing structures, but from grounding them in culture, land, and heritage.
The Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute embodies this principle. Its extensive use of vernacular wood construction was practical, sustainable, and deeply symbolic, connecting the building to its history and reflecting the traditional Cree territory. The openness of its ground floor transforms the Institute into the heart of the community, fostering gathering and connection. These lessons remind us that true strength in design comes from continuity between past and future.
Learning Through Relationships
Every project is also about building relationships with clients, builders, and the communities that inhabit the spaces we design. Over time, these connections have shaped our practice, teaching us that the strongest architecture emerges from trust and open dialogue.
Our ongoing work with the Cree School Board and its communities reflects this approach. Our first collaboration, Rainbow Elementary School in Waswanipi, provided a much-needed new school for a growing community. Later, in Chisasibi, we worked closely with the school board and community to create a secondary school that blends modern design with Cree culture. At its heart is a central agora—a gathering space where elders and students share cultural knowledge across generations.
When we invest in these relationships, design becomes more than a building; it becomes a shared achievement. This shared process reinforces the idea that strength is collective.
Learning Through Our Team
Our collective strength also comes from within. With diverse backgrounds, training, and perspectives, our team brings a wide range of skills and methods that allow us to approach challenges with creativity and resilience.
Learning for the Future
History shows us that technology continually reshapes access: the railway expanded communities at the turn of the century, and airplanes redefined how we connect globally. Today, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) holds the same potential to transform how people, goods, and ideas move through the world.
Just as we learn from heritage materials and cultural resilience, we also learn from technological innovation. Designing for strength means balancing these two forces: the wisdom of tradition and the promise of the future.
Our Values, Our Strength
At Figurr Architects Collective, strength lies in more than structure—it lies in people, relationships, and ideas. It lies in a design process rooted in collaboration, diversity, reinvestment, and listening.
On this World Architecture Day, we celebrate the communities, clients, and colleagues who teach us daily what it means to design with strength. Together, we are building spaces that endure and inspire.
